


The Ghost of Things Yet To Pass

by thebookishdark



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Leia-focused, M/M, Multi, Post-Mandalorian S2, Young Ben Solo, non-canon, pre-sequels, this is loosely based in Ngozi's "Mandalorian Ben Solo" AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:26:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29785740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebookishdark/pseuds/thebookishdark
Summary: Leia is many things, a princess, a war hero, a jedi, but most importantly in this moment: a mother.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian/Leia Organa/Han Solo
Comments: 4
Kudos: 51





	The Ghost of Things Yet To Pass

Leia hasn’t slept soundly since the war, but it’s worse with an empty bed. Han and Lando are on a resupply trip and meeting some old friends along the way. She is used to waking up unsettled in the middle of the night, but _this_ , this wave of _fear-guilt-darkness_ that rolls over her, her lightsaber is in her hand before she knows it, illuminating the room in cold blue light. A Mandalorian helmet reflects the light and she’s back on Tatooine—Boba Fett is coming to collect Han, they’re being _hunted_ —but no, it is too shiny, too new and unmarred, the body carrying it small and skinny and _shaking_.

The room is dark again and the lightsaber forgotten, arms reaching towards the child at the foot of her bed, “ _Ben_ ”. The body flings itself into his mother’s arms, slightly too large to fit like he used to, when his childhood nightmares came more frequently. “Ben, what’s wrong?”

The helmet does not betray him, but the sniffle does, the way his body still trembles does, the thickness in his voice when he finally speaks does. “I had a dream. I had a lightsaber. It—it was red. I—I—I killed dad.” The sound of crying is muffled by the helmet but too loud in the dark of the night.

Leia’s arms tighten around her son, pulling him up onto the too-empty bed. She wishes Han were here, to reassure Ben that it was just a dream, his father is fine, they’re all here and alive and well. But it is just her so she rubs his back and takes a deep breath to calm her own breathing, her own rushing heart, to exude calm and collectedness. “Sometimes,” she starts, looking down at the Beskar her son has barely taken off since he had earned it, “dreams tell us what could happen, if we make certain decisions in our lives. Do you remember last year when Uncle Luke had that bad dream and you went with him and Uncle Din and Grogu to help find other force-sensitive kids because he thought something bad was going to happen to them?”

The helmet rubs against her shoulder when Ben nods quietly, finally starting to calm.

“Nothing bad happened to them because you and your family helped stop it. Besides, I don’t think your dream will come true.”

The helmet rises off her shoulder. “How do you know?” The voice is small and scared still, but hopeful.

“Well. You had a lightsaber in your dream, didn’t you? Does that sound like the weapon of a Mandalorian to you?”

“No….”

“And are you going to stop training with Uncle Din?”

This time the “No!” is resolute and almost offended, as if Leia had asked her son if he was doing something so impossible and unthinkable.

“Then I don’t think you should be worried.”

“Okay…” It’s small, still unsure.

“Besides, if you do decide you want to train with your Uncle Luke and I, we’ll keep you safe. And so will your cousin, and your dad, and your papa, and your Uncle Chewie, and your Uncle Wedge, and the other students, and—“

Ben cuts her off with a small laugh, “Okay, mom I _get it_ , family protects each other. I know.”

“Good.” She kisses the Beskar helmet. “Now get some sleep, you don’t want to sleep in and have Uncle Din waiting for you to show up to training, now do you?”

“No.” Ben snuggles in a little closer, letting himself feel half his age where all that is needed to quell his anxieties was sleeping in his parents’ bed.

“Goodnight Ben. I love you.”

“’Night. Love you.” It’s quiet, and long before Leia finds sleep herself, her son’s breathing evens out.

\---

The next morning finds Leia leaning against a wall, watching her son running drills with Din. It’s quarterstaff today, and Ben appears to have no trace of the fear and uncertainty he had the night before. Luke rounds the corner and leans next to her, watching his husband and nephew hit each other with large sticks.

“Where are the kids?”

“Meditating.”

“Good.” Leia sighs. “Luke… we might have a problem.”

Luke looks at her and raises an eyebrow.

“Ben had a vision last night. He was Sith. He said he killed Han.”

Luke lets out a deep breath. “Are you sure it wasn’t a nightmare?”

Leia glares at her brother, who puts up his hands in a placating gesture. “Fine, fine, you’re right. It was a vision. Do you think it was related to mine?”

“That’s what scares me. Luke, what if the person out there trying to hurt force sensitive children is somehow trying to manipulate Ben into being the next _Darth Vader_ , I can’t let that happen. I won’t.”

“I’ll teach him some exercises.”

“You know he doesn’t want to learn anything related to the Force, he said as much when he was six years old.”

“He might if Din tells him how Mandalorians were once fated enemies of the Jedi, and these exercises will help protect him from Jedi Mind Tricks.” He wiggles his fingers playfully and smiles. “Leia, he’ll be fine. You know we won’t let anything happen to Ben. We’ll keep an eye on it. Now come on, I promised the kids we’d spar with real lightsabers.”

“You _what_?”

“Not them! A demonstration! Us! Come on, I’m not that bad of a teacher, even the fastest growing of them won’t wield a saber for another year. I just thought it would be fun.” He smiles and starts to walk towards the training grounds, where roughly a dozen children sit quietly, half only pretending to meditate while covertly rolling pebbles to each other with the force and giggling.

Leia takes one more look at her son before smiling and following her brother. Her family is safe, and her son is going to grow up to become one of the greatest bounty hunters the galaxy has ever seen, much to Han’s chagrin and Lando’s delight at Han’s chagrin. She’s proud of this family they scraped together from the rubble of war, and she will do everything in her power to protect it.

**Author's Note:**

> This honestly came to me in a dream and wouldn't leave me alone. Loosely based in Ngozi's [Mandalorian Ben AU](https://ngrogu.tumblr.com/post/642947462712229888/superhusbands4ever-ngrogu-leia-and-han) and also influenced by Rebecca's [WIP Comic](https://pencilscratchins.tumblr.com/post/644352586032513024/bout-once-a-month-i-convince-myself-i-should-make) probably because I looked at it before bed. (The dream part was very much a comic in my head but I cannot draw so [gestures at fic]) It's been a while since I've watched the original trilogy and TFA so uh... i hope i didn't mess anything up TOO terribly characterization-wise.


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